Island Bay Boutique Hotel
When Island Bay Boutique Hotel was looking for a complete rebranding, the chose freelance designer Wayne Farley to provide the solutions. The hotel was previously branded as Morning Bird Hotel, but suffered the fate of most businesses in the Caribbean following the world’s financial crisis. With a fresh new outlook, the hotel wanted to appeal to North American and European tourists as a place to eat, sleep and play on the island of Dominica. The charge included the design of a new logo, website, and other print designs.
The Logo
The design of the Island Bay Boutique Hotel was inspired by the carefree, informal and relaxing characteristics of the Caribbean. In addition, elements from the architecture of the building, the environment and the nature of the business were incorporated.
The Arch encompassing the “i” in the word island bears the resemblance of the numerous arches encompassed in the design of the hotel. It suggests a stunning view of the bay that the hotel overlooks, including the representation of the birds which completes the “i”. The negative space in the arch, the “i” also suggests an open door and the warm welcome one receives at the island Bay Hotel.
The “I” was designed using a negative space nested within the arch to conserve space and double as an open door. A common “i” as opposed to capital was decided upon to exude the informal characteristic of the Caribbean. The “I” is accessorized by the silhouette of three birds in flight as the throwback to the previous name “Morning Bird” and also what can be seen as one looks out into the bay.
The fonts used to spell out the words “Island Bay” were deliberately chosen to contrast between the island and the bay, with styles that further provoke the carefree, informal and relaxing characteristics of the Caribbean. The words “boutique hotel” follows the same principle.
The wave, which doubles as a bed, suggests that the sea is nearby and is overlooked by the hotel on the hillside.
The colours chosen represent two of the many hues that are representative of the Caribbean waters. I believe that this is part of the lure of the North American and European tourists to the Caribbean. Blue is a cold colour, and as such, the lighter shades were chosen to bring out the warmth of the Caribbean, or at the least, lessen the effect that the dark shades portray.
The Website
The platform chosen for the development of the website was Joomla CMS. The client wanted some amount of control for the updating of the site as circumstances dictate. The website theme is based on the colours used in the logo design. These together with some compelling images supports the feel of a warm and inviting place to get away to in the Caribbean.
The hotel overlooks Mero Bay and the inviting waters of the Caribbean.
